The Foundation’s First Trap

I’m translating the full chapter into the required HTML format now, keeping the chapter title on line one and rendering the status window as a styled block.CHAPTER_TITLE: Chapter 26

"Yes. Hello, Director Jeong Hye-jin. This is Kim Si-woo."

He answered the phone.

From the receiver came the calm voice of Executive Director Jeong Hye-jin.

"Hello. Director Kim Si-woo. I hope I’m not interrupting you while you’re busy."

"Not at all. I’ve just finished an interview, so this is a good time."

"An interview? The press really won’t leave Director Kim Si-woo alone, will they? Every article you appear in becomes a sensation, so now I’m curious what sort of piece this one will be."

Jeong Hye-jin’s soft, measured tone had a way of settling the nerves.

"It’ll be made public in a few days, so please just wait until then."

"How disappointing. I wanted to hear it directly, but I suppose I can hold out for a few more days. More importantly, I think I should thank you first, Director Kim Si-woo."

"Thank me?"

He voiced the question in a slightly puzzled tone.

"Thanks to you, the founding of the Kim Hak-jun Foundation has become an even bigger talking point. Because of that, we’re being flooded with sponsorship inquiries from companies and private donors alike. Representative Kim Young-soo is quite pleased as well."

"I’m glad it was well received. In fact, I was worried attention that should have gone to Representative Kim Young-soo was being diverted because of me."

"You’re modest. From my position handling the practical side of things, having someone with your star power join us feels like finding an army in reserve."

At first, Director Jeong had been displeased about him joining the board at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠such a young age.

He had restored Representative Kim Young-soo’s great-grandfather’s honor, yes—but that was one matter, and this was another.

A board position at the foundation, and at his age?

At first, she’d worried people might start calling it a private act of favoritism.

But once the article went out, public reaction was positive.

In fact, as it spread across various communities, the buzz only intensified.

That changed her mind.

Whenever an article about Kim Si-woo appeared, the foundation was mentioned alongside it, and that brought them tremendous benefit.

As the one overseeing operations, she had no reason to dislike him.

"In any case, we’re planning to convene our first regular board meeting this time. It’ll be the first meeting since the foundation’s establishment, and an important one in which we’ll determine its future direction and major projects. I’d like you to attend, Director Kim Si-woo."

"I’m not sure how much help I’ll be."

"What are you talking about? This is exactly the kind of meeting where your judgment is needed. We’re planning to hold it at the foundation’s temporary office sometime this week. Is that convenient for you?"

"Yes, that works. I’ll see you then."

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

A few days later, a mid-sized fifteen-story building on a main road in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul.

It wasn’t flashy at first glance, but it was clean and well maintained.

The Kim Hak-jun Foundation occupied the thirteenth through fifteenth floors of the building.

Three whole floors were being used as a temporary office.

Someone was waiting in front of the entrance.

"You must be Director Kim Si-woo. It’s an honor to meet you."

A neatly dressed female staff member who looked to be in her forties greeted him with a smile.

"Yes. Hello."

"I’m Park Ji-hyeon, the assistant manager in charge of the foundation’s public relations team. I came out early after hearing you were coming."

"You didn’t have to do that. I appreciate the trouble."

"Not at all. But we still have about thirty minutes before the meeting starts."

Checking the time, Assistant Manager Park spoke carefully.

"The staff all said they wanted to see you since they knew you were coming. If you’re willing, I thought you might stop by for a quick greeting first. If you’d rather not, you can go straight up to the conference room. What would you like to do?"

They wanted to see his face?

That can’t be true...

Anyone who had ever worked in a company knew the truth.

A superior who suddenly appeared before a salaried worker was a disaster.

Everyone would rather hide somewhere and not show their face.

With the invitation laid out like that, he couldn’t refuse.

"All right. I’ll stop by."

"That was the right choice. I’m sure the staff will be delighted."

A smile bloomed at the corners of Assistant Manager Park Ji-hyeon’s mouth.

When the elevator reached the thirteenth floor and the doors opened, a sign hung at the entrance—clean, spare, and without ornament.

[Kim Hak-jun Foundation, Incorporated]

He stepped into the office.

Far more spacious and lively than he had expected, the office unfolded before him.

"Everyone! Director Kim Si-woo is here!"

Assistant Manager Park Ji-hyeon announced in a loud voice.

At the sound, all the employees’ eyes shot up at once from behind the densely packed partitions.

"Whoa, it’s really him!"

"He looks even better in person!"

"Director Kim Si-woo! Hello!"

With murmurs rising from every direction, employees came hurrying out.

It was a little overwhelming.

He put on the natural smile he’d learned during his corporate days.

"Hello, I’m Kim Si-woo. I look forward to working with all of you."

"Wow, I’m a huge fan, Director!"

"Your voice is amazing!"

Thrown off by the sudden praise, he answered with a slightly awkward smile.

"Thank you. I seem to be interrupting your work, though. It’s good to see everyone working so hard. I’ll also do my best in the role I’ve been given."

It was a brief greeting, but sincere.

He could see the pride on the staff’s faces at working for a foundation dedicated to the public good.

After the greetings were finished, everyone returned to their seats.

People moved briskly through the corridors, telephones rang without pause, and the clatter of keyboards filled the space.

From scholarships to arts and culture to management support, there appeared to be dozens of people on that one floor alone.

Well, with 350 billion won in funding, I suppose that makes sense.

The exterior might look modest, but the foundation’s actual scale was no smaller than that of a respectable mid-sized company.

To move such enormous capital and operate so many support programs, even this many people would be stretched thin.

As the foundation expanded quickly from here, they would need even more staff.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

He went up to the fifteenth-floor conference room.

"Good afternoon. I’m Kim Si-woo, and I’ve joined the board as of this meeting. I look forward to working with you."

Since this was a room full of highly respected experts in their respective fields, he greeted them with a respectful demeanor.

Fortunately, no one looked down on him for being appointed as a director at such a young age, nor did they regard him with prejudice.

Instead, they looked at him with interest, the same Kim Si-woo who had uncovered extraordinary artifacts over the past few months.

After the brief introductions were out of the way, Jeong Hye-jin formally opened the meeting.

"Then let’s begin with the first agenda item. The scholarship program for descendants of independence activists and national merit recipients."

As Jeong Hye-jin distributed the materials, the board members began reviewing them carefully.

Director Choi nodded first and said, "This is exactly the kind of project that fits the foundation’s purpose. It’s something we absolutely need as a way to honor Mr. Kim Hak-jun’s wishes."

"I agree. However, we should make the criteria for selecting recipients as clear as possible."

Professor Park added his view as he flipped through the documents.

"How about limiting direct descendants of independence activists to three generations, and national merit recipients to two?"

"That sounds like a good idea."

Another director agreed.

After listening quietly for a while, Si-woo opened his mouth carefully.

"What if we prioritize families of descendants who are struggling financially? I’ve heard there are more people in that situation than you might think—people with honor, but difficult lives."

Jeong Hye-jin made a note and nodded.

"That’s a very good point. Then we’ll take income level into account as well."

The first agenda item was approved without much disagreement.

"Next is the selection criteria for general scholarship recipients."

When Jeong Hye-jin turned to the next set of documents, the board members focused again.

"Hmm, isn’t the academic standard too high?" Director Choi was the first to speak.

"I agree."

Professor Park nodded.

"Students who are financially struggling often work part-time jobs as well, so it isn’t easy for them to keep their grades up."

Once again, Si-woo offered his opinion.

"Grades are important, but shouldn’t we also look at potential and determination? I think giving opportunities to students who keep working hard despite difficult circumstances fits the foundation’s purpose as well."

"That’s a good idea."

"Then how about easing the academic threshold and instead evaluating growth potential during the interview?"

"I’m in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠favor."

One by one, the board members agreed, and the atmosphere softened.

The third and fourth agenda items proceeded in much the same way.

Funding for arts and culture support programs, overseas scholarship programs, and so on were approved in turn.

"Last item. The matter of disbursing the emergency cultural relic recovery contribution."

A photo of a celadon inlaid peony-pattern meiping appeared on the large screen.

"It’s an artifact offered by a private collector in the United States. He’s demanding a compensation payment of 2 billion won."

Jeong Hye-jin turned to the next page.

"It has already been authenticated as genuine by a respected Asian art appraisal institute in New York, and the official certificate has been submitted as well."

Director Choi, a former head of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and Director Park, a professor in Korea University’s archaeology department, both stared at the screen.

"At first glance, it does look like a textbook example of Goryeo celadon from its golden age in the twelfth century. Based on the photo, it doesn’t look bad."

"If it has a certificate from an Asian art appraisal institute, then it’s trustworthy. A celadon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of this level rarely ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even comes onto the market."

"Two billion won seems like a fair price. If anything, it’s cheap."

As the directors continued speaking, Si-woo noticed something.

Huh?

A sickly gray hue seemed to ooze out from the photograph.

No way?

The status window reacted.

Si-woo’s brow furrowed.

It’s fake.

An exquisitely made forgery, created with the deliberate intention of deceiving experts.

"May I offer an opinion for a moment?"

At Si-woo’s quiet voice, the warmth in the conference room vanished in an instant.

"Could you take another close look at this celadon?"

Professor Park tilted his head. "Director Kim Si-woo, is there some problem?"

He moved forward and checked the twenty-odd high-resolution images provided by the seller once more.

These were photos prepared for an artifact transaction, precise enough to capture even the smallest scratch.

Among them, he selected several images where the inlaid pattern stood out clearly.

"There’s something suspicious here. Professor Park, would you mind looking over these photos again? Especially the edges of the petals, and the lines where the inlay pattern was engraved. I’m going to zoom in on them. I may have missed something, so I’d appreciate your expert perspective."

Professor Park concentrated on the screen.

The high-resolution image appeared on the large display.

As it was enlarged, sharp detail came into view.

He began a meticulous inspection.

His gaze swept over the photograph with growing intensity.

"Hmm... wait."

He adjusted his magnifying glasses and leaned close to the screen.

"The depth of the lines does seem..."

Si-woo added cautiously, "Professor, if you think about how Goryeo artisans worked—those details produced when they engraved by hand with bamboo or iron blades..."

The professor swallowed a breath.

"Yes, it does have the feeling of being cut to a uniform depth with mathematical precision rather than natural variation. But that alone isn’t enough to conclude—"

As the image was enlarged further, he frowned.

"This is definitely suspicious. The borders are too perfect. The lengths of the lines are strangely identical. It lacks the natural variation that should come from a craftsman’s hand."

Professor Park delivered his judgment like the expert he was.

"Director Kim Si-woo. Could you show me the other photos as well?"

He brought up additional high-resolution images.

Close-ups so clear they showed even the glaze’s minute cracks in sharp relief.

"Professor, could you take a look at this glaze section too?"

The screen was enlarged even more.

Professor Park studied the foreign matter that had seeped into the cracked glaze.

Si-woo flipped through the images one by one, showing different angles.

"If this were a natural aging process, wouldn’t there be layers formed over time? What do you think, Professor?"

After comparing multiple photos with meticulous care, Professor Park’s expression gradually hardened.

"That’s right. Director Kim Si-woo, you’ve pinpointed it exactly."

Pointing to various parts of the screen, he continued with professional precision.

"If this were genuine, dust and soil would have seeped in over the centuries, and the deeper areas would be darker while the surface areas would be lighter—a natural gradient formed by time itself."

He kept comparing the photographs.

"But look at this. From top to bottom, from left to right, the color saturation inside the cracks is uniform. No matter where you look—up, down, left, or right—it’s all the same. That pattern could never arise from a natural aging process."

Professor Park let out a long sigh.

"I’d need to inspect it in person to be absolutely certain, but this looks like artificial aging... If you hadn’t singled out these photos and shown them to us, I might have missed it entirely."

The conference room fell so silent that even breathing seemed audible.

Director Choi muttered under his breath, "Then what about the certificate?"

Professor Park answered firmly.

"Any organization capable of producing a forgery of this caliber would treat certificate fraud as routine. Forgery techniques have advanced tremendously in recent years. It’s at the level where even experts are deceived."

He looked at Si-woo in admiration.

"Especially when they provide this many high-resolution photos and present the certificate with such confidence, that itself can be a trap. We should have examined it much more carefully."

Director Kim scolded himself, then praised Si-woo. "Thanks to Director Kim Si-woo looking at it with suspicion, we were able to catch the crucial clues."

Director Choi let out a breath. "If it hadn’t been for Director Kim Si-woo, the foundation might have run into trouble from its very first meeting."

The other directors looked at Si-woo with eyes full of admiration.

"Thank you, Director Kim Si-woo. We’ll reject this matter immediately."

Si-woo, meanwhile, was astonished by the changed status window.

Now it can distinguish genuine pieces from fakes too. And it even tells me the forgery method in detail...

Once the meeting ended, everyone stood from their seats.

Director Choi approached first and extended both hands for a handshake.

"Director Kim Si-woo. I watched your performance today."

Gripping Si-woo’s hand tightly, he said, "To be honest, I was worried about your age at first. But I was completely wrong. Representative Kim Young-soo’s judgment was spot on."

Professor Park also came over and placed a hand on Si-woo’s shoulder.

"I learned something today. You took care of something that should have been my responsibility."

"Without your expert judgment, I wouldn’t have been certain."

The lawyer came over next, admiring him as he handed over a business card.

"To infer that an artifact was fake from just a few photos... incredible. If you ever need anything, please contact me anytime."

One by one, they shook his hand as they left the conference room, and the look in their eyes was completely different from before.

Executive Director Jeong Hye-jin approached last.

"If it hadn’t been for you today, the foundation would have been in trouble the moment it launched."

"If we’d gone through a detailed appraisal later, the foundation would definitely have caught it as well. I just noticed it first."

"Maybe so, but by then a great deal of money would already have gone into expenses."

Jeong Hye-jin let out a relieved sigh.

For her, as the person in charge of the foundation’s operations, it was truly a blessing.

"I won’t forget this."

"No, this was simply something I had to do as a director of the foundation."

Before long, he found several foundation business cards in his hand.

Experts from each field. He had now connected with people who possessed substantial careers and networks.